Is tetsubin overrated? Looking for a small portable induction plate.

[vuanguyen]

I bought my tetsubin more than 2 year ago but I used it only 3 times since. The reasons I'm not using my tetsubin more are:

1) It takes 40 minutes to heat up my water to boiling point on my iron hot plate
2) I'm not sure I can tell the difference in taste as compared to my steel electric kettle

Anyway, I am thinking that an induction plate rather than a hot plate can can speed up the boiling time. The problem is I cannot find an induction plate that will work for my tetsubin small surface diameter at the bottom. It is only 3 inches wide. The smallest induction plate I found and own requires a minimum diameter of 4 inches. Does anyone know where I can buy an induction plate that work for such a small diameter?

Thank you in advance.

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[Bok]

I use gas and it's hot and boiling in under 10min.

Have you tried to do a side by side of boiled water/brewed tea with said two waters?

[Bok]

And to answer the general question: Compared to a stainless kettle I do definitely see a huge difference, but that might depend on individual Tetsubin.

[Pants404]

I have been considering purchasing an induction plate from AliExpress. They have a lot of small options at relatively low prices. Maybe it is worth having a look there.

I use a larger induction plate at the moment, which only takes a few minutes to boil a litre of water. In a side by side comparison with a conventional Kettle there appears to be a clean and pleasant taste from the tetsubin, but the kitchen Kettle was a bit bland.
I also like just using the tetsubin. I do dedicate a decent amount of time towards my tea sessions, so the relatively slow tetsubin is not a hindrance for me.

[Bok]

I have been considering purchasing an induction plate from AliExpress. They have a lot of small options at relatively low prices. Maybe it is worth having a look there.

Be mindful of different electrical standards and requirements between countries.

[vuanguyen]

@Bok
I have not tried using my gas oven because it's far away from my tea table. I need something next to me. Thank you for your suggestion sir.

@Pants404
The mini induction plate you showed me will not work because 1) it does not list the minimum diameter required and 2) as Bok stated, it is 220v. I live in the US and we use 120V.

I might be able to use an adapter so I can use the 220v appliance (I have not done this before). However, my biggest problem is still the small diameter of my tetsubin. I need something that will work for 8 cm diameter. Thank you kindly for reply.

[pantry]

I preheat the water in electric kettle or on a gas top range first before putting in to tetsubin. The difference in water taste / effect on the tea made is the biggest among every brewing vessels I have. It was extremely obvious to me. Mine is a chagama (same idea) that has an old urushi layer inside and some rust. Is your tetsubin coated inside?

[.m.]

The problem is obviously that your hot plate doesn't have enough power. But you could still use it for keeping the water hot during your tea session after bringing it to boil on your kitchen stove.
Out of all standard heating methods, an induction stove is the one i wouldn't use. No reason, just a personal preference.

[Teachronicles]

I'm surprised it takes so long to heat up your tetsubin. How many Watts is your hot plate? My 1000W hot plate can hear up any of my ceramic kettles in ~15 minutes at the most.

[TeaTotaling]

@vuanguyen I live in the US as well, and I have been using this 1500W Infrared Burner with great results. I find infrared heats water in a similar manner as charcoal, producing nice water!

[vuanguyen]

I preheat the water in electric kettle or on a gas top range first before putting in to tetsubin. The difference in water taste / effect on the tea made is the biggest among every brewing vessels I have. It was extremely obvious to me. Mine is a chagama (same idea) that has an old urushi layer inside and some rust. Is your tetsubin coated inside?

@pantry

Using another vessel to heat up the water and then put it a tetsubin really take away the purpose of the tetsubin as a heating vessel of water. I want to simplify thing. Maybe I just don't have the patience

My tetsubin is 100% iron inside. There is not a single urushi mark at the bottom that you get from certain manufacture process using "katamochi" nails. It was one of the requirement I desired in a tetsubin when I purchased mine. Maybe I go about this all wrong. Maybe urushi is the reason why the water taste better. Another topic for discussion?

[vuanguyen]

The problem is obviously that your hot plate doesn't have enough power. But you could still use it for keeping the water hot during your tea session after bringing it to boil on your kitchen stove.
Out of all standard heating methods, an induction stove is the one i wouldn't use. No reason, just a personal preference.

@Teachronicles @TeaTotaling @.m.

You guys/gals are right. My hot plate is only 500w. I still think an induction oven is better than a hot plate (even with higher wattage) because it heats up water faster and it's more energy efficient.

My search for a mini portable induction plate continue

[Teachronicles]

@vuanguyen instead of heating the entire kettles worth in another vessel, electric kettle or stove top, I will put about half or less the working capacity of water in the kettle and heat that up to a boil, it won't take as long and won't have the thermal shock of putting boiling water in a room temp kettle. Then, you can top it off with boiling water and bring the full kettle to a boil again.

[pantry]

I preheat the water in electric kettle or on a gas top range first before putting in to tetsubin. The difference in water taste / effect on the tea made is the biggest among every brewing vessels I have. It was extremely obvious to me. Mine is a chagama (same idea) that has an old urushi layer inside and some rust. Is your tetsubin coated inside?

pantry

Using another vessel to heat up the water and then put it a tetsubin really take away the purpose of the tetsubin as a heating vessel of water. I want to simplify thing. Maybe I just don't have the patience

My tetsubin is 100% iron inside. There is not a single urushi mark at the bottom that you get from certain manufacture process using "katamochi" nails. It was one of the requirement I desired in a tetsubin when I purchased mine. Maybe I go about this all wrong. Maybe urushi is the reason why the water taste better. Another topic for discussion?

Pure iron should be better! The sweet taste comes from the iron I believe.
I preheat water because I use a chagama, which is usually much larger than tetsubin. I either heat the entire chagama on a gas range, or fill it with pre-heat water and use the infrared heater to bring it to a boil and maintain it.

Hmm, I’m not sure why your water doesn’t taste different then

[TeaTotaling]

The problem is obviously that your hot plate doesn't have enough power. But you could still use it for keeping the water hot during your tea session after bringing it to boil on your kitchen stove.
Out of all standard heating methods, an induction stove is the one i wouldn't use. No reason, just a personal preference.

Teachronicles TeaTotaling .m.

You guys/gals are right. My hot plate is only 500w. I still think an induction oven is better than a hot plate (even with higher wattage) because it heats up water faster and it's more energy efficient.

My search for a mini portable induction plate continue

If you choose to go induction, I highly recommend Cadco. They seem to be nice quality units from my experience. They have a 120V, 1400W induction plate. That should solve your power issue. Or, as it was mentioned, don't fill the kettle all the way. I personally, don't put much water in my kettle, and I always top it off after each boil. So the water doesn't become flat.

In my experience induction is very convenient, but I find it changes the energetic structure of the water, causing it to become deflated.